Reps query PENCOM’s unapproved spendings – TheNigerialawyer

THE House of Representatives, on Thursday frowned at the manner
in which the finances of the Nigeria Pension Commission (PENCOM) is
being managed by the Commission’s Management.

The members of the House committee on Pensions headed by by Rep.
Alhassan Rurum, were not happy with the Acting Director-General,
Hajia Aisha Dahir-Umar for the manner she has been handling the
finances of the organisation.

They made their position known at the Budget Defence session
where the Acting Director-General led the Management of PENCOM to
defend the Commission’s 2020 Budget proposal,

They expressed dissatisfaction at the way PENCOM Internally
Generated Revenue (IGR) is being spent without the Constitutionally
mandatory appropriation of the National Assembly.

Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Pensions, Rep. Bamidele
Salam restated the Committee’s stand that the Management of PENCOM
must come out to explain the spending of 2,138,440,241.57 from the
PENCOM Internally Generated Revenue for ‘Admin Expenses’ without
approval of the National Assembly.

The lawmaker insisted on the Committee’s demand that the PENCOM
Management must explain the spending of N369,688,000.00 from the
Commission’s Internally Generated Revenue on ‘Miscellaneous
Expenses’, the spending of N731,477,627.90 from the IGR on
‘Capacity Building Costs’.

They also questioned the spending of N1,831,275,331.00 on
‘Operational and Monitoring Expenses’, among other huge expenses,
all without approval of the National Assembly.

Salam also told Hajia Dahir-Umar, that her Management team must
explain to the committe, its claim that “it is the right of the
Commission (PENCOM) to start spending its Internally Generated
Revenue (IGR) without further recourse to the National Assembly as
soon as Mr. President signs the Appropriation Act into Law, even
when the IGR does not form part of the Appropriation Bill in the
first place.”

Rep Mansur Soro, another member of the committee expressed shock
at the claim by the Commission that it spent over Five Billion
Naira (5,000,000,000) on the Salaries of about 380 Members of Staff
within the first Eight (8) Months of year 2019, without
approval.

Rep.Leke Abejide and Yusuf Adamu Gadji quoting Section 80 (1) of
the Constitution, stated that the Management of PENCOM reserves no
right under law to spend the Commission’s Revenue without the
appropriation and approval of the National Assembly.

PENCOM Management must prove to the Committee with relevant
documents that it was given approval to spend the huge sums it
spent out of the Commission’s IGR, he said.

The Acting Director-General of PENCOM, Hajia Dahir-Umar while
responding to the queries of the Committee, made clarifications of
the issues raised. However the Committee insisted on sighting
documented approvals and evidence of appropriation for the 2019
spending of PENCOM.

The committee requested the Cash Flow analysis for the IGR
already spent and other necessary documents to clarify the costs
spent in 2019. She was given until Monday, 9th December 2019 to
present the documents.